''Shady Side'' was a
steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
that operated in
New York Harbor
New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...
and nearby areas starting in 1873.
Construction
''Shady Side'' was built in 1873 at
Bulls Ferry
Bulls Ferry (also Bull's Ferry) is an area along the Hudson River, just north of Weehawken Port Imperial in the towns of West New York, New Jersey, West New York, Guttenberg, New Jersey, Guttenberg and North Bergen in New Jersey. It takes its nam ...
.
She was described in later service as "one of the handsomest passenger-boats on Long Island Sound",
and in reminiscences from 1939 as "a remarkably swift and handsome steamboat of medium size".
She had a licensed capacity of 600 passengers in 1880, and 700 in 1899.
''Shady Sides engines were made by
Fletcher, Harrison and Company. Her wooden
hull was long, with a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
breadth of , a
hold
Hold may refer to:
Physical spaces
* Hold (ship), interior cargo space
* Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane
* Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...
depth of . Her
gross tonnage
Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weigh ...
was 444 and her
net tonnage 329.
Service
![Shady Side 1892](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Shady_Side_1892.png)
Originally, ''Shady Side'' was owned by the Morrisania Steamboat Company, and ran passengers to upper Manhattan and the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
by way of the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...
. Later the vessel was used on routes to
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
and
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...
, with stops at Shady-Side, Guttenberg, and Tilly Toodlum. Her final trip to Harlem was made on July 4, 1880, after the new elevated railroad made route uneconomical.
From the beginning, ''Shady Side'' was involved in stern competition with vessels of other companies. The ''Shady Side'' was the fastest boat of the Morrisania Steamboat Company, and frequently raced against the ''Sylvan Dell'', which was the fastest of the Harlem Line. In 1875, as part of this sparring, the ''Sylvan Dell'' had a piece of oak strapped to her to prevent ''Shady Side'' easily passing. Captain Longstreet, superintendent of the Morrisania line, took control of ''Shady Side'' in response one morning in April 1875 and swung her around in such a way as to knock the beam off ''Sylvan Dell''. This caused cheering from passengers on ''Shady Side'' but was condemned as dangerous horseplay by ''The New York Times''. Later that month, Captain Longstreet's license was revoked for thirty days as a result, and the captains of both the ''Shady Side'' and ''Sylvan Dell''—Charles G. Tennant and William Weatherwax, respectively—were censured, Tennant for remaining at the helm while Longstreet took over and Weatherwax for continuing to operate the ''Sylvan Dell'' after complaints had been raised about the beam.
In 1881, it was reported in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that the police intended to buy her for the
24th precinct, and that "she cost $83,000, was sold to the steam-boat company for $58,000, and the amount now ask for her is $38,000. It will cost about $3,500 to fit her up, and the Police flag can be transferred to her in the early Spring." The mortgage on ''Shady Side'' was foreclosed on in 1881, but she continued in service as a passenger vessel after being sold.
In 1882, ''Shady Side'' was making regular trips between Pier 3,
North River and
Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Tompkinsville is a neighborhood in northeastern Staten Island in New York City. Named for Daniel D. Tompkins, sixth Vice President of the United States (1817-1825), the neighborhood sits on the island's eastern shore, along the waterfront facing U ...
, at half the price – five cents – of the regular ferry. The
Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferry ...
Company complained about the
under-cutting and it was found that ''Shady Side'' was being operated without a ferry license. The case went to the
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in the New York State Unified Court System. (Its Appellate Division is also the highest intermediate appellate court.) It is vested with unlimited civ ...
, which ruled against the boat's operators and enjoined them from running that route, an injunction that was re-ratified in July.
In August 1882, ''Shady Side'' was again undercutting fares on a different route, between New York and
Yonkers
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...
, again charging five cents against a standard fare of twenty cents for a single ticket. The two firms that ran the ''Chrysteneh'', the ''Riverdale'' and the ''Caroline A. Peene'' began blocking docks that the ''Shady Side'' wanted to use and casting away her lines. There were reports of passengers being assaulted, and at one point a fence and a locked gate were erected to block access to the ''Shady Side'', over which passengers clambered. The other operators believed ''Shady Side'' must be running at a great loss and would not be able to continue, while the operator of the ''Shady Side'', Walter H. Shupe, manager of the Columbia Line, said they were acting within their rights and that they had taken the matter to the Yonkers Police Court.
It was reported in several papers that this strategy was so popular that in September ''Shady Sides owners hired a larger boat, the ''Americus'', which had a capacity of 1,500 passengers, to keep up with demand, and that the ''Americus'' was owned by a secret society numbering 800,000 members called the "Sons of Columbia", who chartered the ''Americus'' for sixty days at $160 per day.
In June 1883, ''Shady Side'' had been working on the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
between
Wilmington and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, running a loss, when the captain took her from the wharf. A 'wanted' notice was run on the front page of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' on the assumption she had been taken to New York.
In later service, either from 1886
or 1902,
''Shady Side'' took passengers between New York and
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
, which she continued to do until at least 1910
and perhaps 1921.
Accidents in fog
The ''Shady Side'' was involved in two incidents due to fog in which another ship was damaged, causing one and assisting in the other.
In the first incident, in mid-March 1875, ''Shady Side'' struck and sank a tug boat called ''Mary'', which was backing out of a slip between piers on the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Queens ...
near
Corlears Hook
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an i ...
. George F. Townsend sued as a result and was awarded damages in May of the next year, Judge Blatchford finding that the tug was blameless and not outside the end of Jackson Street pier, whereas ''Shady Side'' was moving too fast given the fog.
On the morning of October 21, 1894, in very heavy fog, at least four ships ran aground in New York. Of these, the largest was the wooden
side-wheel steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
''Drew'', carrying 150 passengers. ''Drew'' ran aground on
Washington Point at about 7:40 a.m., tearing a hole in the
starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front).
Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
bow. Passengers were able to disembark by
gangplank
A gangway is a narrow passage that joins the quarterdeck to the forecastle of a sailing ship. The term is also extended to mean the narrow passages used to board or disembark ships.
Modern shipping uses gangways to embark and disembark passeng ...
and when the tide rose, ''Shady Side'' towed ''Drew'' off the rocks and back to dock.
Later years
Around 1921, ''Shady Side'' came into the ownership of
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
, running under the
Black Star Line
The Black Star Line (1919−1922) was a shipping line incorporated by Marcus Garvey, the organizer of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and other members of the UNIA. The shipping line was created to facilitate the transportation ...
. ''Shady Side'' was abandoned on the mud flats at
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, th ...
in 1922 when the Black Star Line collapsed as its owners were convicted of mail fraud.
Later vessels
Another ship called the ''Shady Side'' was built in 1913 at Osborn Boat Works for Edenton Ferries, while the steamboat was still in operation. That vessel, which was unrelated, was sold to the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
in 1918, given the
section patrol
A Section Patrol Craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential wartime service before, during, and shortly after World War I.
Historical overview The SP/ID registration system
In 1916, with World War I raging a ...
designation SP-2079, and assigned to ferry service. She was redesignated ''YFB-2079'' in 1920 and sank in a storm in 1925, being declared unfit for service after being raised.
References
Further reading
* Mariner's Museum and Peluso, Anthony J., Jr., ''The Bard Brothers -- Painting America under Steam and Sail'', Abrams, New York 1997
{{1875 shipwrecks
Passenger ships of the United States
Merchant ships of the United States
Steamboats of the United States
1873 ships
Maritime incidents in March 1875
Maritime incidents in April 1875